Burning Brighter Than Stars In The Night Sky
by purplepagoda
Summary: What if something had happened between Rory and Jess in Kyle's bedroom during season 3, at the keg party Rory and Jess attended? How would Rory deal with the unintended consequences?
1. Chapter 1

Future plans have been laid. The stops between her, and her destination have been carefully plotted, and she refuses to deviate from her stated course. She stands in the dark, staring her boyfriend at a keg party. Never in a million years could she have pictured them in this situation. They argue, and then he pulls her into a kiss. She closes her eyes, and for a moment she breathes in the scent of his hair gel, and his cologne. For a second she finds herself getting swept up in the moment. For an instant she forgets the rest of the world. He lowers her onto the bed. She feels his fingers brush up against the buckle of her belt. She pushes her mother's warning from her thoughts, and kisses him back.

She doesn't push him away, even though she knows that she should. She ignores the common sense that she has. She doesn't once consider the dozens of people just outside the unlocked door of someone else's bedroom. She only thinks about the infuriating teenage boy, who has her heart. She kisses his lips, and as the moments tick bye she allows all rational thought to go out the window.

* * *

The following day she is standing outside the window of a dress shop, with her mother. She begins to ramble, and her mother leads her to the car. She climbs inside, and continues to ramble. She turns towards her mother. She finds a pair of blue eyes staring back at her expectantly. In a split second she visualizes a look of disappointment on her mother's face. Once again her mother prompts her to tell her what happened in Kyle's bedroom.

"Nothing," she responds to her mother with a bold faced lie, as her heart skips a beat. She had promised her mother they would discuss this occasion before it happened. In the past, she had believed it to be true. She told Lorelai everything. She fears that the truth in this situation would tear their relationship to pieces, and that is not a risk she is willing to take. There is no reason to tell her about a night with the boy that her mother hates. Jess has never been good enough for Lorelai, she has made her feelings about him very clear.

She studies for her finals, and tries to keep her mind from wondering to thoughts of him. He has shown his true colors, and now Rory feels like a fool. She sits at her kitchen table staring at her books, trying not to think about the fact that he's left town. He said he would call, she reminds herself.

Finals come, and go quicker than she can possibly imagine. Graduation soon passes her by, as well. Before she knows she is on a plane over the Atlantic Ocean. Her jet lag seems to linger, but she ignores it as her mother drags her from one location to the next. Two weeks into their trip she finds herself sitting on a park bench reading a newspaper, as her mother raids the local coffee vendor. She glances at the date, and a sudden sinking feeling overwhelms her. She pushes it aside, as her mother approaches with a couple cups of coffee.

* * *

Late one evening, after much heated debate they end up in a relatively decent hotel in London. Once Rory is completely certain that Lorelai is in a deep sleep she sneaks out of bed. She slips on her shoes, grabs a set of keys, and vacates the premises. As she breezes through the lobby she feels a sense of urgency. Outside the night air a damp breeze is blowing. She listens to her heart hammering in her ears, as her feet collide with the concrete.

She walks for quite a while, but can't seem to clear her mind. Eventually she stumbles upon a twenty-four hour pharmacy. She finds the item that she is looking for, and freezes. She stands in the aisle, staring at a row of boxes. Her hands tremble as she reaches for one. The store is mostly quiet. There are a couple other people milling about, while she makes her selection. She is so focused on the task at hand, that she doesn't notice the face outside the window.

On the other side of the glass a mother watches her daughter. Lorelai feels foolish as she stands outside the pharmacy wearing nothing more than her pajamas, and a pair of sneakers. Her heart sinks further than the titanic, when she sees the selection her daughter makes. Confused, and disappointed she turns, and heads back to the hotel. When she arrives back to their room she climbs into bed, and tries to erase the scene from her mind, but she can't.

Her daughter is going to Yale, she reminds herself. The daughter who was valedictorian. At eighteen years old her daughter, is far more than she even imagined that she could be. The cloud of darkness descends her. A dark thought climbs into her mind, but she instantly rejects it. The negativity continues to creep into her stream of consciousness. She closes her eyes, willing herself to go back to sleep. Sleep doesn't come at all. Instead, she finds herself lying in a dark room, alone as a single tear trickles down her cheek.


	2. Chapter 2

She has never been more thankful to be at home, in her own bed in her entire life. After months of travelling suddenly small town life feels like heaven. It is her first night at home, and she feels completely exhausted. She rolls over, and looks at the clock. It reminds her that it is far too late for her to be lying in her bed on a merry-go-round with racing thoughts. She flips on her lamp, and sits up in bed. The sudden wave of nausea does nothing to ease her anxieties. She tiptoes into the bathroom.

Hours later she slips out of the house, before Lorelai begins to stir. She zips through Stars Hollow. Her anxiety only rises as she pulls into a parking spot in Hartford. She presses the release on her seatbelt, and evacuates the driver's seat. She meekly enters the office, and approaches the receptionist. The next hour is full of paperwork, and processes that are all incredibly unpleasant.

When she finally arrives home, much to her chagrin her mother is awake.

"Mom?" Rory calls out.

"In here," Lorelai responds.

Rory's stomach twists into knots, as she slowly makes her way into the kitchen. When she reaches the kitchen she finds her mother sitting at the kitchen table. Lorelai's hair is neatly secured in a clip. She is fully dressed, as she sips her cup of coffee. She locks eyes with her daughter. Rory's heart, and mind race as she slowly lowers herself into the wooden chair adjacent to her mother's.

"Rory, do you want to tell me where you slinked off to first thing this morning?"

"I had an appointment that I needed to attend."

"Rory, I have given you a lot of latitude as of late. We were on this excellent adventure, but honey, the vacation is over. You have been broody, and secretive. Quite frankly, it makes me think that you are hiding something. Enough is enough. Whatever is going on with you is obviously something serious. I wish you had been able to talk to me about what was going on," Lorelai cannot maintain her composure any longer.

Rory locks eyes with her mother. Her pale face seems especially vulnerable, Lorelai realizes. Rory subtly shakes her head, wishing her mother had, at some point in her life managed to obtain some amount of tact. Rory swallows the lump in her throat. Lorelai brushes stray hair out of her face, and waits for her daughter to admit what she has suspected for months. She realizes her earlier words may have been too harsh, so she continues.

"Rory, I am your mother. I am always here for you, no matter what. Whatever it is, you can tell me."

Rory shakes her head, "It will change everything."

"Rory, whatever it is, we will get through it."

"I wanted to tell you. A hundred times over, I wanted to tell you."

"Then why haven't you?"

"At first I was just scared. I thought I would feel better about telling you, eventually. Scared became petrified."

"And petrified?"

"Became panic level anxiety."

Lorelai reaches out, and squeezes Rory's hand. "What are you afraid of?"

"Disappointing you," Rory admits.

Lorelai scrutinizes her daughter's facial expression. She wants to tell her that she could never disappoint her, but she has always relished in the fact that she doesn't lie to her daughter. She knows what is coming, and no matter how much she wants to feel differently, no matter how much she loves her daughter, she knows the disappointment is coming. Lorelai clears her throat, and prepares herself for the difficult conversation she is about to have.

"No matter what you do, or have done I will always love you. I will always support you. You are my daughter, and nothing you ever do is going to change the love that I have for you," she expresses candidly, as her eyes begin to well with tears.

Rory looks at her mother. She can see that her eyebrows are gathered closely together, and her forehead is wrinkled. Lorelai has dark circles under her eyes. Her eyes are bloodshot, as if she has already be crying. Rory surveys her surroundings, and she realizes that there is a box of tissues next to her mother. On the other side is a pile of used tissues. Between them is a spiral bound notebook, which has a worn purple cover. Suddenly she feels betrayed.

"Did you read this?" She asks, feeling outraged.

"I considered it. I spent a lot of hours contemplating completely betraying your trust, and violating the principles on which our relationship is found on. I didn't want to do that. At the same time, I wrestled with it, because I kept thinking of the phrase, quid pro quo. Let's face it, you have already violated one of the largest principles of our relationship. You violated my trust, and that isn't something that I take very lightly."

"Did you read this?" Rory's face grows red, as her nostrils flare.

"Rory I wouldn't do that to you. I did not read your journal, even though you gave me plenty of cause to."

"You didn't read it?"

"No."

"I don't really know how to even begin to say what needs to be said," Rory admits.

"An apology would be my recommendation."

"Mom, I am profoundly sorry for lying to you. I was thinking only of myself. You have always respected me enough to be honest with me, and discuss things with me. I am sorry that I did not pay you the same respect."


	3. Chapter 3

Lorelai falls silent. Rory knows that this is never a good sign. She collects her thoughts, and tries to build up the courage to tell the whole truth. The constant state of nausea, and anxiety feel overwhelming. She wipes one sweaty palm on the leg of her blue jeans. She feels eyes boring through her very being. Before she can muster up enough courage to utter a single word the nausea becomes simply overpowering. She shoves her chair away from the table, and bolts for the bathroom. Lorelai follows after her, as quickly as an eagle swooping in on prey. She catches her daughter's hair before it falls into the toilet bowl, with her vomit.

Without a single word Lorelai unclips her own hair, and secures her daughter's. She stands in silence as her daughter sits on the tile floor of their bathroom, on her knees. After a few minutes Rory slowly rises to her feet, and flushes. Lorelai remains silent, as she hands her progeny a pre-pasted toothbrush. Rory diligently attends to her oral care as the two of them stand in silence. Without a single word Lorelai turns, and leaves the room.

Rory finds the person who gave her life, and her name in the living room, sitting on the couch. She takes a seat next to her mother, and waits for her to interrupt the silence. When she doesn't, she turns towards her. Lorelai can't even seem to make eye contact.

"Mom," she begins.

Lorelai exhales, and looks up at her teenaged daughter.

"Yes?"

"I lied to you. I told you that nothing happened in Kyle's bedroom."

"I know," she replies, eerily calm.

"I should have listened to you."

"Damn, right, you should have."

"And I didn't," she admits.

"I know."

"I slept with Jess."

"I know."

"You were right about him. I should have seen it, and I refused."

Lorelai doesn't respond.

Rory shrugs, "And now, here we are."

"Yeah? Where is that? Where are we?"

"It doesn't matter how profusely, or genuinely I apologize. I screwed up in a way that I can't take back. I lied to you. I disappointed you. I hurt you, and…"

Lorelai stares at her daughter. Her eyes suddenly look darker to Rory, "You're not me."

"What?"

"You're not me. You are so much better than me, in so many ways. You are supposed to be all of the very best parts of me."

"What do you want me to say?" She questions on the verge of tears.

"I want you to tell me that it isn't true. I want you to look me in the eye, and tell me that you _were_ just jetlagged. I need you to tell me that you were tired because we walked our assess off. I need you to say that that you got sick in London, because of some poorly prepared soup. I want you to state that it wasn't you who snuck out of a hotel room to go to a twenty-four hour pharmacy. I need you to insist that you never slept with Jess, and that you aren't going to spend the rest of your life picking up the pieces. I need you to shout it from the rooftop that you didn't get knocked up mere weeks before giving your valedictorian speech. That is what I want you to say, but you can't. You can't tell me any of that, because it none of it is true, is it?"

"So you've known all of this time, and you never said anything?"

"You didn't want me to know, so I pretended not to know. I tried to give you your space to figure things out. In this case a lack of a decision, is a decision in it of itself."

"You're right."

"I don't want to be right! I want to be wrong. I wish that I could have been an oblivious parent, who didn't notice."

"I am so sorry."

"I don't want you to be sorry. I don't want any of this."

"You think that I do? I am eighteen years old. I just graduated high school. I am supposed to be starting Yale in a matter of days. This is not how I was planning for my life to go."

"You made this decision."

"Yes, I know that."

"Do you understand the gravity of this situation?"

"You think that I don't understand the gravity of this situation? I am pregnant. I am gestating another human being. I am completely, and totally terrified."

Lorelai doesn't say a word. She simply wraps her arms around her daughter. Rory cannot hold back her tears any longer. She clings to her mother as they both bawl. After quite a bit of time passes they let go of each other. They both feel drained, and emotionally vulnerable.


	4. Chapter 4

Lorelai shakes her head as her face grows red. Her nostrils flare, and a million thoughts rush through her head. She shakes her head, and shrugs.

"Rory, I don't really know what to say to you right now."

"Something, anything."

"I don't want to say something that I will regret."

"I need you to be honest with me."

"Rory this isn't going to be any walk in the park, you know. Being a parent is the hardest job that you will ever have."

"I know that."

"How are you going to juggle all of this? What are you going to do?"

"I am going to finish school, no matter what."

"It costs nearly thirty thousand dollars a year to go to Yale," Lorelai reminds her.

"I know that."

"How do you plan on paying for a baby? How are you going to support your child?"

"I don't know. I'll get a job, I guess."

"You guess? Rory there is no way that you can work, go to school, and take care of a baby. It's not feasible."

"Is this where you morph into Emily Gilmore, and tell me that I am throwing my life away?"

"This is where I tell you that you are on you own."

Rory furrows her brow in complete, and total confusion, "What?"

"You are on your own, kid. I am not going to bail you out this time. This is your circus, and these are your monkeys."

"What does that mean?"

"I am here to support you, always. I am your mother, and I love you unconditionally. You are the one who has to figure this out. You made these choices, and now you have to live with them."

"Tough love?"

"Rory I love you to the ends of the earth, and beyond."

"But?"

"There is no but," Lorelai insists.

"However?"

"You are an adult. You can vote, and go to war, or college. You can be charged as an adult for committing a crime. This is your mess, you clean it up."

"What are you saying?"

"I will support whatever choice that you make, but I want to make it clear that all of this is your responsibility."

"I have no idea how I am going to do this. I don't have any clue where to even begin," Rory admits.

"You go see an OB/GYN."

"I did that," she admits.

"And?"

"It was completely horrifying. How did this happen to me?"

"You didn't listen. I told you how this happens. You threw caution to the wind, and you took the key off your belt."

"I am sorry that I ripped off the chastity belt."

"Now is no time for jokes, Rory."

"I do not know how to handle this. Tell me what to do."

"I can't. I can't tell you what to do. You have to decide this on your own. You decided to have unprotected sex with Jess, and now we're here."

"Thank you for the play-by-play," Rory rolls her eyes.

"So," Lorelai folds her arms across her chest, "What are you going to do? What do you want to do?"

"I am going to have a baby," she answers.

"Then what are you going to do?"

"Probably cry in a rather ugly fashion, for many hours."

"Be serious," Lorelai insists.

"I am completely terrified. I am supposed to embark on a four year stint at an Ivy league school in a few days. I can't have a baby, and…" she begins to hyperventilate.

"Rory, just take a deep breath, and tell me what _you_ want."

"I want to graduate. I want…" she trails off.

"To be a war correspondent," Lorelai reminds her.

"How can I do that? I mean, plausibly, how can I possibly do that? I can't trek around the country scouting out the best job to get me on the trajectory that I am seeking. I certainly can't traipse around the globe. I can't be a parent from halfway around the world."

"What are you saying?"

"I think this dream is going to have to be deferred," Rory responds.

"Which one, Langston?"

"I am going to figure out a way to do this."

Lorelai's eyes widen, as her frustration grows, "Do what?"

"Raise another human being."

"Rory, are you sure?"

Rory falls silent. She reaches into the back pocket of her jeans, and pulls out a picture. She allows the picture to come to rest on the surface of the kitchen table. She glances at the picture, and then her eyes shift towards her mother as they both shift uncomfortably in their seats. Without a single word Lorelai takes the still image from her. She studies the image closely.

"So, Lorelai the fourth?" Lorelai questions.

Rory smiles, "I am sorry that I kept this from you for so long."

"How far along does this make you?" Lorelai queries.

"The date of conception was almost four months ago, fifteen weeks."

"Oh."

"I can go to Yale for the first semester, and get in as many classes as I can. I'll take spring semester off, and contemplate what the best fit is for me, moving forward."

"What if it's not Yale?"

"Then I will have to live with it."

"Rory, you have to tell Jess."

"He is an immature asshole. What makes you think…"

Lorelai cuts her off, "Despite whatever thoughts, or feelings that either one of us has towards Jess the bottom line is that for the rest of your life the two of you will have a child. You have to tell him. At the very least afford him the opportunity to make the conscious choice whether or not he wants to be in his child's life."

"What are we going to do with a boy?"

Lorelai furrows her brow, "What do you mean?"

Rory points to the ultrasound picture, "It's a boy."

"Wait! What?!"


	5. Chapter 5

The phone line rings for what seems like an eternity. Rory sits on her bed, well after midnight waiting for a boy to answer her phone call. She expects that he won't answer. She anticipates that he will avoid her, at all costs after.

"Hello?" A voice on the other end answers.

"Jess," she responds.

"Rory," she can hear him furrowing his brow questioningly on the other end of the line.

"I am sorry to be calling so late," she apologizes.

"How did you get this number?" He wonders.

"Luke gave it to me. I told him that it was an urgent time sensitive matter."

"You have made your feelings clear," he reminds her.

"Don't hang up," she insists.

"Why not?"

"I have something that I need to tell you."

"I thought that based on our last phone call that you had stated your piece."

"The phone call where you were too much of a coward to say anything?"

"Rory it is one thirty in the morning, what are you even doing up? Why are you calling me, of all people, anyway?"

"I am trying to give you the benefit of the doubt."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"I want to give you the chance to make a conscious decision regarding an important matter."

"What important matter? I thought that you were done with me."

"It seems my life has become very complicated since we last spoke, because of you."

"What do you mean? Yale is making your life complicated?"

"I haven't started yet. That isn't what I am referring to."

"If you have something to say, then say it."

"I'm pregnant."

"Terrific. Thanks for the update," he responds in a snarky tone.

"I thought you might want to know."

"Why would I want to know?"

"I just thought you would want to know that someday in the near future I will be having a baby. Your baby."

The line falls silent. For a moment she wonders if he's hung up.

"Jess, are you still there?"

She hears him exhale into the receiver, "Yeah, I'm still here."

"I just thought that you should know."

"When did you find out?"

"Somewhere between London, and Dublin."

"Huh?"

"I found out when I was in Europe. I just got back."

"It was just the one time," he points out.

"Apparently that is all it took."

"What do you want me to say? What do you want me to do?"

"I want you to say, or do whatever you want to."

"If you're telling me does that mean that you're keeping it?"

"Yes."

"How are you going to finish Yale, if you have a baby?"

"I don't know," she admits, candidly.

"I wasn't expecting this," he admits.

"You think that I was?"

"No."

"Take some time to digest this. I don't expect an immediate response. I know this is a lot to process. I have having a hard enough time myself, and I have known for quite some time."

"Okay," he agrees.

Lorelai wakes up when there is just a hint of light in the sky to the sound of someone knocking at her door. She rolls over, opening her eyes, praying that it is just a dream. She glances at the clock, and it reminds her despite the fact that it is Sunday she has been awaked before six o'clock. She pulls on a robe, and races down the stairs. She pulls the door open ready to throttle whoever is standing on the other side. She finds Jess standing in front of her, with a duffle bag thrown over his shoulder.

"Do you have any idea what time it is?"

"Yes," he nods in confirmation.

"What are you doing here?"

"Can I come in?"

She takes a step back, and allows him to step inside. "Rory is sleeping," she informs him as her door closes. She flips on the lamp in the foyer.

"I'm not surprised."

"And judging by the fact that she didn't wake up to the pounding that could raise the dead, I suspect she is in a deep sleep."

"I'm sorry," the words clumsily fall from his mouth.

Lorelai falls silent. She stares at the rebellious teenager, who she hates to admit reminds her of the male version of herself. Her initial instinct is to kick him, or even throttle him. He has dark circles under his eyes, as if he hasn't yet been to sleep.

"Explain yourself. Jess what are you doing here? It is the middle of the night. Everyone in Stars Hollow, with the exception, of maybe Luke is sound asleep. Why are you here in my foyer?"

"Rory called me. She told me that she's pregnant."

"So you know…" she trails off, choosing not to divulge information he may not know.

"She's having my baby."

"What are you doing here? Where did you come from?"

"I was in New York. I laid there for about five minutes after she called, with the hopes of going back to sleep, but I couldn't. I couldn't do it. I can't just go about my life, and pretend that she didn't call and say, what she did."

"It isn't even six o'clock in the morning."

"I just hopped on a train, and then a bus, and came right here."

"Why?"

"I have screwed up nearly every single opportunity that I have ever been given."

"I am not going to argue that point."

"I am not my father. I am not going to walk away. I am not going to abandon my child."

Lorelai softens for a brief moment. She temporarily comes out of her anger induced haze, as she leads him into the living room to have a seat. He takes a seat on the couch, as she hovers over him, in front of the coffee table.

He shakes his head, "I have no idea what I am doing. I don't know what my next move is. All I know is that I am going to be in my kid's life."


	6. Chapter 6

"Okay," Lorelai agrees.

"I don't know what I am doing. I am a screw up, and I know that. I know what you think of me, too. I am so angry at myself for screwing everything up. I am used to it, but this is Rory we're talking about. I have ruined her whole life. She had a future. She had everything planned out, and in one night I manage to take it all away from her."

"Jess, calm down."

"I can't calm down. I don't know how to be a dad. I can barely take care of myself. Tell me what to do."

"Give me five minutes."

"Why?"

"I'll get dressed, and we will go acquire coffee."

"Okay," he agrees.

* * *

Five minutes later she returns to the living room wearing a pair of lounge pants, and a t-shirt. She grabs her keys, and he follows her to the car. They ride to Luke's in silence. They enter the diner, and she takes a seat at the counter. Jess ducks behind the counter, and pours them each a cup of coffee. They hear footsteps, and Luke comes out of the storeroom.

"What the hell, Jess?"

"We need the coffee," Lorelai insists.

He locks eyes with Lorelai, as Jess takes a seat next to her.

"Is this the twilight zone, or something?" He furrows his brow, "What the hell is going on here?"

"Does he know? He's going to kill me."

"What's with Spazz McGee, over there?" Luke stands across the counter from Lorelai.

"You'll find out eventually," Lorelai begins.

"Jess are you in some sort of legal trouble? Are you running from the law? Why are you here with Lorelai? You two aren't exactly…"

"Jess, why don't you go for a walk?" Lorelai suggests.

He nods in understanding, and makes a beeline for the door.

"Why are you palling around with Jess? I thought that he left. Why is he back? What kind of trouble is he in now?"

Lorelai interjects to stop Luke's rambling, "Your nephew knocked someone up," she responds, unable to keep it to herself any longer.

"Oh," Luke shrugs, "I figured that would happen eventually."

"It certainly caught me off guard."

"Who is it? Is it that one trashy girl he was seeing for a while?"

"No. It is most certainly not."

"Then who is it?"

"The absolute last person on earth either of us would consider."

"Clue me in."

"It's Rory," Lorelai adds.

Luke takes a deep breath, "Ah, I feel like I'm going to be sick."

"Have a seat," Lorelai suggests.

They sit on barstools at the counter for several minutes in silence. Eventually Luke rises from his seat to lock the door, and put the closed sign up. He returns to the counter, where he sits next to Lorelai.

"This is some elaborate prank the two of you concocted to see if you could give me a coronary, right?" Luke hopes.

"No," Lorelai responds, flatly.

"Why aren't you strangling him?"

"If I strangle him I have to strangle Rory too. They are equally to blame for this."

"I highly doubt that," he argues.

"She is just as culpable here, as he is."

"What are we going to do?"

"Not murder them, is my first goal."

"How did this happen?"

She grows quiet. She shrugs, "I don't know. All I can think is that I failed her as a parent."

"Lorelai you did not fail her as a parent."

"I did not want this for her. She deserves more than this. Never in a million years did I want her to struggle like I did. She has no idea how hard it is to be a teenaged mom. I don't know what to do. I don't even know what to say to her. I am terrified that I am going to say the wrong thing, and completely alienate her. I know how much she needs me right now, and I'm not sure that I have what it takes."

"You are not your mother," he answers softly.

"Really? I am starting to feel like it. I am even younger than she was when I told her I was pregnant. I want to tell her that it is never going to work. I want to tell her that reality is harsh, and she will be lucky to finish a year of college, let alone four. I want to tell her that she has dreams, and goals, and not to throw them away. I can't. I can't stand there and tell her any of that, because what kind of hypocrite would I be?"

"So the only option you have is to lend support to whatever decision she makes."

"She has already made a decision. She isn't living in reality. Wait until she finds herself studying for finals until midnight, only to get up for three a.m. feedings."  
"You need to be honest with her."

"I can't. I don't know how to say what needs to be said without crushing her."

"Delicately."

"How do you suggest I do that?"

"Picture her child sitting next to her while you're talking to her."

"When did you become the rational one, Luke? You should be pissed off. Your nephew knocked up the golden child."

"Is that what this is really about? You're upset because it was Jess?"

"Somehow, it would seem that Jess is the one person that I am least upset about."

"How?"

"I didn't raise Jess. I raised Rory. I am disappointed that she would let this happen. I know that there are two parties involved here. I just wish she would have considered what she is going to have to give up in order to do this."  
"Have you ever told her what you gave up to have her?"

She furrows her brow, and falls silent. It occurs to her that while Rory has seen her struggle at times, she has never revealed the true cost, or opportunities missed to her.


End file.
